Restringing a Steinway Grand

Loose tuning pins are usually the first sign that restringing should be considered for a Steinway, although in some cases the tone may seriously degenerate before loose pins occur. Strings begin to lose their elasticity and best tone quality after about twenty five years or so, although the deterioration can be so gradual that the tone is acceptable for several more years. Only when the piano is restrung is one made aware of the difference between the new and the old strings.

Only on rare occasions will one re pin with oversized pins without restringing work, since under normal conditions pins stay tight for longer than twenty years. It may be possible and advisable to delay restringing a few years by driving the pins slightly further into the pin block, but generally when the pins are loose it is time to restring. The PTG (Piano Technicians Guild) now is making recommendations to the tuners in the field to apply cyanoacrylate glue (Krazy Glue) to the pin block to help tighten the loose Pins.

WE RECOMMEND NEVER TO DO THIS BASTARDIZATION TO YOUR STEINWAY PIANO (IT WILL DESTROY THE PIN BLOCK!)

When restringing there is always the decision as to whether to use the old pin block or install a new one. There are five tuning pin sizes ranging from #2 to #6, OTT that the old block can be used with over-sized pins if it can be determined that it is sound. If a chemical pin tightened has been used, or if there is any doubt about the condition of the present block, it is advisable to install a new one. However, the successful installation of a new pin block requires much skill and experience on the part of the re-builder. The fit must be exact, and the holes drilled evenly at just the right angle 7 degrees to insure an even, tight pin throughout.

The use of a chemical to tighten loose pins by swelling the wood in the pin block is often successful, but somewhat controversial. Its use may be acceptable on an inexpensive piano to give it a few more years of life when the quality of the instrument hardly justifies the cost of restringing, but to use it on a quality piano is questionable. Chemicals can so destroy the wood fibers around the tuning pins that it is necessary to replace the pin block. Since the strings have lost much of their life by the time the tuning pins become loose, it hardly seems advisable to risk ruining the pin block just to use the dead strings for a few more years. New strings will improve the tone of the piano immensely nearly by 85%

Some may feel that frequent tunings may lead to premature loosening of the pins. This could be true if a poor tuning technique is used which bends the pins or involves several large up and down motions for tuning each pin. But it is not a significant factor when a correct tuning hammer technique is used that involves one or two tiny movements for tuning each pin. A piano used in concert work may be tuned more times in one year than the ordinary piano tuned regularly would be tuned in fifty years, yet without showing significant change in the tightness of the pins. In addition to poor tuning hammer technique the other factor that leads to premature loose tuning pins is repeated drastic humidity changes from season to season.

Full Action Rebuild and Restringing. New hammers Or new hammers and shanks with reconditioned butts (Possibly on new hammer flanges) Or new hammers, shanks and butts If brass butt flanges are present remove the rail and anneal the rail and replace all brass butt Replace hammer springs plates Replace hammer rail felt Replace hammer springs rail felt

Rework Whippen's There are various variations on this theme Clean and graphite jacks Replace jack springs Re pin all whippen and sticker flanges Perhaps replace flanges Reactivate glue on jack saddles or re glue saddles

Dampers Replace damper lever felt Remove and re felt damper lever felt Replace damper springs Re pin damper flanges or replace flanges Restring Rework bridges Perchance replace bass bridge Restring Regulation Change key pins or buff Detail of spacing and timing.